Almost Normal

Thank you for the well wishes from so many friends. We were infinitely touched by your care and concern.

Big Bee is almost back to normal now. She went back to school on Thursday amidst much trepidation. She was worried that her friends will laugh at her still bruised eye and bloodied eyeball. She expressed much fear that they will not be her friends. Hubby told her bluntly that the friends who laughed at her are not her true friends. I asked her if she will ever laugh at her best friends if they fall down. She said "no", and we told her she is a true friend. I am not sure if she understands the concept of "true friends" henceforth, but she seemed reassured. 

I accompanied Big Bee all the way up to her classroom to be her bedrock of strength and support. 4 of her friends were in the classroom. One of them uttered Big Bee's name excitedly upon seeing her, and another girl, Phoebe, rushed from one end of the classroom to embrace Big Bee tightly. An emerging smile was evident on Big Bee's face. 

I told the girls, "Big Bee fell down from a horse and she had to go to the hospital to sew 2 stitches on her eye. That's why her eye is so red and bruised!" I was greeted with 4 pairs of big shocked eyes from the girls. In spite of all Big Bee's fears that she will be rejected due to an "ugly eye", all the girls started milling around Big Bee, examining her eye. Shortly after, I was shooed off by Big Bee when they all adjourned for the morning assembly. 

I watched with smiling felicity as the girls walked off. I overheard one of them telling another girl who joined them, "Big Bee fell off a horse!" and Big Bee's cheeky grin as she swung quickly back into her social school life, asking loudly, "How do you know!"

I sneaked to the morning assembly and hid behind a pillar to see if she was alright. I saw many of her friends milling around her. One girl gestured an action of riding on a horse. I also observed another girl, Jeslyn, peering intensely into Big Bee's eye and then hugging her elatedly and happily. And the thing I was awaiting for appeared - a sunny beam of a smile from Big Bee's face and her chatting animatedly with her friends. 

I walked away with the sun in my heart and delight on my face.